“Ducati win, regulations are wrong. Someone else wins, regulations are right!”
Concessions are set to play a key role in 🃏the 2024 MotoGP season
Gigi Dall’Igna has issued a strong dismissal 🍨of the new MotoGP concessiꦇons rules.
As the premier class’ dominant team, Ducati will be hit hardest by the tweaked regulations but they are aggrieved that KTM and Aprilia will receive benefits, in addition to 🧸Honda and Yamaha who the new rule was initially intended for.
Ducati’s inspirational engi𒀰neer has hit out a𝓰t the rules again.
"Let's say that we don't want to tꦕalk much about𝔍 the concessions and some of their points,” he told Marca.
“We were willing to sign the first proposal that Dorn𒊎a gave us, which, fundamentally, only gave aid to Honda and Yamaha.
“It was ༺reasonable, for us, it was a balanced proposal, so we would have signed it instantly.
“On th🔜e other hand, other manufacturers took advantage of the opporꦓtunity to take advantage for themselves or try to disadvantage us.
“We liked this much less.
“We tried to resist, but out of the commitment of wanting to look good to everyone we had to be content with thiꩵs.
“It is cl꧙ear that both in MotoGP and in Superbike... it seems that when Ducati wins the regulation is wrong and when someone else wins,ও the regulation is right.
“It is something diffi🧔cult, but it annoys youꦜ a lot.
“In World Superbikes, the only one p🅺enalised is Alvaro Bautista.
“O♔ther years, when a rider won successively, no one said: 'You win because of this...'. He didn't win because he was good?
“We lowered our heads and worked until it came💝 to us.
“And making a motorcycle 🦋from💞 scratch, because the V4 is completely different from its predecessor and it was a risk to win the first year.
“The others, with old motorcycle🍎s from ten years ago, were there.
“We in Superbikes already agreed to 🉐give super concessions to the teams that had old bikes and were struggling in development.
“So we are no🔯t against helping those who have difficulties.
“Maybe one day we will be the ones who have difficul🥂ties, but punishing those who work well does 💟not seem very sporting.”
Ducati must aim to﷽ win the MotoGP championship for the third year running despite the concessions rules.
They are not permitted any wildcard riders, they must use only 170 test tyres (the fewest of any manufacturer), they have a m🌞aximum of eight engines all year with a developmental freeze, and a single aerodynamic update.
They will retain the advantage of running eight bikes on the grid, compared to fo🃏ur for Honda, KTM and Aprilia, and just two for Yamaha.
And their Desmosedici - the brainchild of Dall’Igna - has ꧟been tested in Sepang. Enea Bastianini went fastest on the second day of the test, and Francesco Bagnaia did so on the third day. They fed back that the ‘24 bike is bette🌸r than the ‘23 version.
James was a sports j👍ournalist at Sky Sports for a decade c꧒overing everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
